A comprehensive design and graphic concept for a school wayfinding system aimed at lower secondary school students. Together with architect Vladimír Kosík, we chose the theme of comic speech bubbles and a black-and-white graphic treatment that feels close to this generation.
The school building is large, so we opted for bold, easily recognisable symbols that can be spotted from a distance and make finding one’s way around as easy as possible. The original idea was to use sprayed graphics directly in the building. For technical reasons, however, this was not possible, so together with the installation company Print&office s. r. o., we looked for an alternative. The result is a set of graphic elements made from Dibond panels, which ultimately proved to be a more practical and flexible solution. Perhaps some of the teenagers have already taken one of the speech bubbles with an inspiring quote home as a little keepsake for their bedroom wall.
We wanted the system to be not only practical, but also subtly educational. When labelling the rows of lockers in the changing rooms, for example, we deliberately avoided straightforward numbers and letters. Instead, we used symbols that the students will encounter throughout their lives – giving them a chance to find out what they mean along the way.
Then came the details that give the whole system its distinctive character. For the teachers’ toilets, I chose a pair of glasses as the symbol. It is the same on all the doors, with the distinction between male and female teachers remaining in the graphic treatment. For the students’ toilets, on the other hand, different pairs of symbols appear on each door. We also wanted to avoid making the accessible toilet sign feel overly serious, so we chose a more playful approach.
Then there are the fire extinguishers, which practically invite a graphic intervention of their own. Each classroom also has an empty speech bubble intended for messages from teachers to students. The headteacher’s office has its own symbolic “doormat” in front of the door. In short, four floors offered plenty of room for creativity.
The commission also inspired us to involve the teachers in the project, at least to some extent, so that they could feel more at home in their new school. The wayfinding system thus developed into a collaborative creative project as well. Some of the quotes were contributed by the teachers themselves, and many thanks also go to the teachers from the language classrooms for their help with proofreading.
I owe many of the little jokes and wordplays used around the language classrooms to my external collaborator Markéta Slezáková, who is a real treasure trove of great ideas.
We chose the quotes together with the architect very carefully. We did not want them to relate only to the subject taught in the classroom nearby. They were meant to have a broader meaning – to offer inspiration, food for thought, or perhaps simply a small moment of pause in the everyday life of the school. Judging by the students’ reactions, it seems that at least some of this has been achieved.
